11
Years of Impact
2
Annual Festivals
500+
Featured Authors
84,000+
Lifetime Attendees
Our Story
The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) was founded in response to a growing demand for literary spaces that better reflected the breadth of voices, stories, and experiences found in Canada.
The inaugural festival launched in Brampton in 2016, creating a national platform dedicated to celebrating underrepresented authors and storytellers with a three-fold mission to engage readers, inspire writers, and empower educators.
What We Do
Since launching the flagship festival, FOLD has expanded to serve a wide-range of readers, writers and social-justice minded stakeholders through a series of literary endeavours.
"FOLD brings something unique and yet quintessentially Canadian to the local literary landscape: a deep understanding that no matter who you are or where you're from, your story matters."
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Explore FOLD Reads
Engaging Readers
Discover new titles and expand your reading efforts through annual and seasonal reading challenges, and curated book lists.
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Explore FOLD Academy
Inspiring Writers
Explore the publishing industry and expand your writing efforts through workshops, and professional development opportunities.
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Explore FOLD Kids
Empowering Educators
Take advantage of unique school programming and children’s programming through virtual events designed for classrooms and community experiences.
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How We Do It
Our Mission
To create accessible, inclusive literary spaces that amplify underrepresented voices and empower readers, writers, and educators across Canada.
Our Vision
To establish a literary landscape where readers discover new voices and where writers and educators can discover resources and tools.
Our Values
To build equity, community, empathy, accessibility, transparency, and learning into every thing we create and every story we share.
Our First 10 Years
Our first ten years tell the story of an idea that grew into a larger literary movement. The Decade in Review Report highlights key milestones, program growth, community impact, author engagement, and the evolution of FOLD from a single festival into a year-round literary ecosystem. Explore the stories, achievements, and impact that have shaped our first decade—and laid the foundation for everything still to come.
Our Team
Our Staff and Board 
Our Impact
Over the past decade, FOLD has become a nationally recognized leader in equity-focused literary programming. Through unique festivals, educational initiatives, and community experiences, FOLD expands opportunities for underrepresented authors while connecting thousands of readers, writers, educators, and students with diverse Canadian stories.
$320,000+
Author Honourariums
92%
Canadian Authors
4,100+
Volunteer Hours
As Featured In
